Resume Advice for Marketers

Components of a Successful Job Search

• A standout cover letter
• A commitment to networking
• A well-crafted resume 

Tailor your resume, cover letter and/or CV with the skills you possess along with the required skills of the job to which you’re applying.

Human resources personnel want cover letters to grab and hold their attention. Applicants should research the company to which they are applying and, in their cover letters, include references to any information they find. Address the human resources director by name; call the company to find out the person’s name, if necessary. As far as networking is concerned, there are a lot of euphemisms for it. In the end, however, it consists of someone using the influence of his or her friends or family members to gain employment. Both cover letters and networking are crucial before applicants begin their marketing careers, but resumes give applicants a chance to shine.

Many people fall flat with their resumes. A shiny GPA and/or diploma mean very little. They might land an applicant in front of the HR door, but they won’t grant access. Neither will previous job experience. By and large, no one cares anymore what anyone did in the past, unless it concerned making money. Here is a hard, unforgiving truth: Companies only care about how someone will make them money. A job applicant’s task is to convince the HR director of how much better the applicant will be at making the company money than other applicants.

Convince hiring personnel that you have the skills to confidently make the company more money.

In a resume, one should concentrate on skills applicable for the position. Applicants should find out as much as they can about the the company to which they are applying, concentrating on the following:

• What the company sells and the markets where the products will be sold
• The group demographics for whom the products are designed
• Company policies and procedures, along with company performance in fulfilling its marketing goals

Applicants should tailor their skills to match, and if the company is doing well, they should highlight skills that’ll help it continue. If the company is not doing well, applicants should highlight skills that’ll help it get back on track. Applicants should make themselves the star when describing experiences. Anything an applicant did in the past to help a company’s bottom line is a gigantic plus in the “likely to be interviewed and/or hired” column. The best way, however, for an applicant to go to the head of the line is to convince the HR director that he or she will personally make more money through the applicant’s skills and contributions. Applicants should strive to make the company ask them: What can you do for me tomorrow? If one can convince a company that he or she is necessary for its long-term well-being, that person will almost be able to pick his or her own marketing salary.